The world is changing, and so is Mitch Rapp’s role in it.
We’ve seen a distinct evolution in Vince Flynn’s venerable special operator under the tutelage of author Kyle Mills.
Throughout his seven entries in the series, Mills has given hints of the “life changes” that could be coming in Rapp’s life. One of the more entertaining examples of a potential pivot involved Rapp’s brief stint as a celebrity security guard in 2019’s “Lethal Agent” (read my review).
In “Enemy at the Gates,” Mills takes things a step further, showing a world that has a very different geopolitical viewpoint than the era when this series began.
I had the opportunity to read the “Exclusive Mitch Rapp Ambassador Edition” of “Enemy at the Gates” as part of VinceFlynn.com's “Mitch Rapp Ambassador” program. My wife and I have had the honor of being ambassadors the past three years, and we get to do fun things like my “unboxing” video, filmed when the advance reader copy arrived:
Or Bridget’s “TRACK DOWN THE TITLE” video from January to promote the novel’s official title reveal:
Most of the narrative of “Enemy at the Gates” takes place in Uganda. The early passages focus on Dr. David Chism, a man with revolutionary ideas in the realm of virus research. He is working on a vaccine that will wipe out the entire coronavirus category (something we could really use).
Chism is bankrolled by trillionaire Nicholas Ward. The successful entrepreneur oversees a foundation dedicated to solving the world’s ills (as written, Ward is sort of a cross between Bill Gates and Elon Musk).
It isn’t long before Chism goes missing. A sadistic revolutionary named Gideon Auma is to blame.
At the same time, a mole in the highest reaches of the United States government is accessing sensitive files about Nicholas Ward.
Mitch Rapp and Scott Coleman (along with the crew at SEAL Demolition and Salvage) find themselves protecting the trillionaire (and looking into the whereabouts of the missing Dr. Chism).
What ensues is a story that has a “smaller” focus than Mills’s two previous entries in the series (major calamities like virus outbreaks and mass power outages are not on tap this time).
For me, the most intriguing aspect of the story is the aforementioned evolution of Rapp. We have a character who — in the book’s early moments — appears to be on the verge of hanging things up.
We see a man who is set to enjoy an extended stay in South Africa with love interest Claudia Gould and her daughter Anna — and he doesn’t seem unhappy about that fact. He is working on his cycling skills to participate in a 450-mile mountain bike race.
It’s the world we find ourselves in that has lead to Rapp’s disillusionment (as if he wasn’t cynical enough already), and a sense of relief being out of the hornet’s nest that is Washington, D.C.
“Views that only a few years ago would have been considered tin-foil-hat territory were now being discussed by straight faced, mainstream newscasters,” writes Mills.
I’m not sure what direction Mills plans to take Mitch Rapp in the future. The author has suggested this book is the first part of a three-book cycle, and that the stories will have an integrated feel.
A key new character introduced is 44-year-old President Anthony Cook. Cook (along with his wife Catherine) definitely has a different vibe from other “commander-in-chiefs” found in the Rappverse.
It would have been tempting for Mills to make the new president into a familiar, current-day political archetype. Yet he avoids creating a cliché, which adds a certain level of uncertainty as it regards the character’s motivations going forward.
I also enjoyed the fact that Mills decided to set the novel’s main narrative elements in Africa. The continent adds a unique flavor to geopolitical thrillers, and a number of recent authors have crafted entertaining stories there (including Jack Carr’s 2019 thriller “True Believer” — read my review).
With “Enemy at the Gates,” Mills steers the Mitch Rapp series in a different direction, tossing aside the tried-and-true tropes as a means to shake things up. I’m intrigued to see where things go from here.
(There’s also a surprising twist at the end of the novel... that’s all I’m gonna say.)
It’s definitely worth following the official Vince Flynn Twitter account if you haven’t done so. In addition to the “Mitch Rapp Ambassador” program, there are other fun contests and giveaways throughout the year.
I’ve pre-ordered a copy of “Enemy at the Gates” in hardcover. You can order your copy here.
Highly recommended (as is the entire series).
